American TV Personality, Host Of TV Cooking Competition Series 'Chopped' and 'Chopped Junior'

Ted Allen | Biography

Previously hosted 'Uncorked: Wine Made Simple' in May 2007

• By Yunil Tamrakar
• Original : November 11, 2021

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Ted Allen was the food and wine enthusiast on Bravo's television show Queer Eye. Since 2009, he has hosted the TV cooking competition series Chopped and Chopped Junior, which debuted in mid-2015.

Who is Ted Allen?

Ted Allen was born Edward Reese Allen on 20 May 1965 in Columbus, Ohio. He is an American food professional, television host, and author. He rose to prominence in 2003 after joining the cast of the television makeover show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Allen was the show's expert on food and wine. The following year, he and the other cast members and creators of Queer Eye won an 'Emmy Award' from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the 'Outstanding Reality Program.'

He was also the host of Uncorked: Wine Made Simple, a six-part documentary that premiered on PBS on 7 May 2007. Following multiple guest judge appearances throughout the previous two seasons, Allen became a regular judge on Bravo's reality television show, Top Chef, beginning 13 June 2007. A year later, he left Bravo when Food Network gave him the host job on two shows: Food Detectives, which premiered on 29 July 2008, and Chopped, which premiered on 13 January 2009. Similarly, in January 2009, Food Detectives resumed for a second 13-episode season. Chopped was also renewed for another 26 episodes in March 2009.

On 13 April 2014, he took over as host of Food Network show America's Best Cook, a retooled version of that show renamed All-Star Academy. He also hosted the four-part special, Best. Ever.

In addition, he is a veteran contributor to Esquire magazine, the author of seven books, including two cookbooks, a fixture on the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and other food shows on television.

Early Career

Allen began his professional career as a reporter for Lerner Newspapers, a string of community weekly newspapers. There, he started restaurant criticism reviewing as a member of "The Famished Four," a bi-weekly group-review team founded by Barry Rice, then the chain's entertainment editor, and Lerner food editor Leah A. Zeldes.

Allen then worked as a freelancer for Chicago magazine, eventually becoming a senior editor and frequently writing about food, wine, and culinary celebrities. Subsequently, he became a contributing editor at Esquire in 1997, where he penned stories, food pieces, and profiles and co-authored the magazine's popular "Things a Man Should Know" series. He has also written for reputed publications such as GQ, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Epicurious.

Books

Some of his books are Esquire's 'Things A Man Should Know About Style' (Riverhead Books, 1999) with Scott Omelianuk, Esquire's 'Things A Man Should Know About Marriage' (Riverhead Books, 2000), Esquire's 'Things A Man Should Know About Sex' (Riverhead Books, 2001), Esquire's 'Things A Man Should Know About Handshakes, White Lies and Which Fork Goes Where: Easy Business Etiquette for Complicated Times' (Riverhead Books, 2001).

He is also the co-author of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better' and more.

Ted Allen's Husband

Allen is openly gay and announced his engagement to Barry Rice, ex-journalism professor turned interior designer on 26 June 2013. Since 1993, Allen has shared his home with his husband, Rice. The couple got legally married in New York City on 30 July 2013. They wear wedding bands, and address each other as "husband."

Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Allen has a net worth of $5 million as of 2021. Allen's primary source of income is through his career as a TV personality and an author.